Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Senate Passes Car Sharing Bill
Jun 7 2011 // In a seeming effort to encourage green behavior, Oregon senators have approved a bill that would remove some of the barriers to developing community car sharing programs. House Bill 3149 establishes standards for personal...
Senate-Approved Workers’ Comp Overhaul Rejected by Illinois House
Jun 6 2011 // A major overhaul of the state’s costly workers’ compensation system failed in the Illinois House on May 29, raising the possibility that lawmakers would push to entirely abolish a system that handles tens of...
South Carolina Senate Approves Limits on Lawsuits Damages
Jun 2 2011 // The South Carolina Senate has given approval to a bill limiting lawsuit punitive damages, but bucked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley along the way. Haley wanted the Senate to go along with the House and approve a cap of...
Senate-Approved Workers’ Comp Overhaul Rejected by Illinois House
May 31 2011 // A major overhaul of the state’s costly workers compensation system failed in the Illinois House on May 29, raising the possibility that lawmakers would push to entirely abolish a system that handles tens of thousands...
Senate Bill Would Set Wind-Vs.-Water Insurance Claim Formula
May 31 2011 // A U.S. senator from Mississippi is introducing a bill that tries to resolve wind-versus-water insurance disputes for structures wiped out by hurricanes. Republican Roger Wicker said that his bill would establish a formula...
Workers’ Comp Reform Approved in Illinois Senate
May 31 2011 // A plan to overhaul workers’ compensation to cut business costs and curb corruption emerged May 28 and was approved by the Illinois Senate. The measure, which came after six months of negotiations and now heads to the...
Oregon Senate Passes Insurance Fraud Bill
May 27 2011 // The Oregon Senate has passed a bill that makes insurance fraud in claims a crime. According to the insurance fraud bill, SB 401, fraud warnings would be mandatory on policies, noting that presenting a fraudulent claim for...
Texas Senate Votes to Keep Texas Insurance Department
May 23 2011 // The Texas Senate has voted to renew the state Department of Insurance and give it stronger enforcement penalties when companies lose challenges to their rates. Lawmakers are considering competing bills to extend the life...
Oklahoma Senate Approves Massive Late-Session Work Comp Bill
May 19 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved a more than 200-page bill that completely overhauls Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws. The proposal emerged in the Oklahoma House just three days before lawmakers are...
Missouri Senate Sends Governor New Bill on Farm Lawsuits
May 12 2011 // Responding to objections from Gov. Jay Nixon, Missouri lawmakers passed a revised bill that would restrict the ability of neighboring property owners to bring nuisance lawsuits against large, smelly hog farms. The...
Republicans Push to Repeal Healthcare Reform Funds
May 4 2011 // In a renewed attack against President Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul program, House Republicans voted Tuesday to deny funding for a central element of the law that sets up marketplaces for people to shop for...
Florida Senate Passes Property Insurance Overhaul
Apr 29 2011 // The Florida Senate has passed a property insurance overhaul aimed at creating more competition in the private marketplace and also cut down on fraudulent sinkhole claims. The measure (SB 408) passed on a 25-12 vote after...
Tennessee Lawsuit Damages Bill Advances in Senate
Apr 28 2011 // Gov. Bill Haslam’s proposal to limit lawsuit damages is advancing in the Tennessee Legislature. The measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee 6-3 on Tuesday and will now be scheduled for a vote on the...
Illinois Senate Rejects Workers’ Compensation Changes
Apr 18 2011 // A Republican plan to overhaul the Illinois workers’ compensation system failed April 14 in the state Senate, largely over the question of whether workers should be required to prove injuries are...
Investors Suing Banks Gain Ammunition with Senate Report
Apr 15 2011 // Pigs. Unicorns. Money? A scathing U.S. Senate panel report faulting Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Deutsche Bank AG and others for contributing to the financial crisis may provide ammunition for investor lawsuits accusing the...
Florida Senate Committee Advances PIP Bills
Apr 14 2011 // A pair of bills aimed at cracking down on the runaway fraud that has vexed automobile insurers in recent years moved through a key Senate panel this week. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee narrowly approved the...
Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report
Apr 14 2011 // Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S....
Senate Sends Repeal of Healthcare Law’s 1099 Tax Provision to Obama
Apr 5 2011 // In an 87-12 vote, the Senate has passed a repeal of the new IRS 1099 tax reporting provision contained in the major federal healthcare reform law. The bill — H.R.4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of...
Lawsuit Reform Measures Advance in Oklahoma House, Senate
Apr 4 2011 // Legislation in Oklahoma aimed at eliminating joint and several liability, requiring that juries be provided with information on the tax impact of potential awards, and capping noneconomic damages in lawsuits have advanced...
Montana Senate Passes Workers’ Comp Reform Bill
Mar 29 2011 // The Montana Senate has passed a workers’ compensation reform bill that supporters claim will bring nearly $100 million in savings its first year. The Senate passed HB 334 by a 45-5 vote in its third reading on March...
